There ain't no samurai, there are few geisha, Japanese are not the most polite people in the world. In practice, there is no special love or care for nature, nor is Japan uniquely unique. Sorry, but the sugar-coated fantasyland-Japan of Edwin O. Reischauer et al does not exist--if it ever did.

I think so too, since it is simple and easy and makes it look like something is being done about something for which nobody has answers or solutions. Wonder if it will include the large kitchen knives which are often used in knife assaults? Since nearly every household in Japan has them, it may be tough. Perhaps it will only apply to non-kitchen utensils.**

It should work though, just like it has in Britain even though the causes may differ:

...This explosion in knife crime is the most astounding symptom of Britain’s broken society. The government has been slow to recognise and even slower to act to deal with this plague on the streets of our towns and cities,” said Davis.

Richard Garside, director of the CCJS, said ministers had taken the wrong approach to tackling the problem. “The government has embarked on endless law and order initiatives, yet knife-related robberies appear to be increasing, if the latest figures are to be believed,” he said.

“This challenges the notion that there is a policing or punishment solution to this problem. Success in tackling knife-related violence will require a concerted strategy to deal with the causes of violence...

...Critics have accused the government of lacking a coherent strategy to tackle the problem and of resorting to knee-jerk legislative responses...(That can't be said about the Japanese government!) Times Online.

**This still does not address the fact that a rental truck was used to injure/kill some of the victims. Are there going to be additional controls on rental vehicles to prevent vehicular assault/homicide?

Note added: There are already restrictions on the ownership of certain knives over 15cm in length.